


Price of a ring

by Neigecerise



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alya Césaire Bashing, Enjoy!, Fluff, I don’t know what to tag this, Other stuff people might want to read, class salt, growing back together (whatever you take that as), ml salt, pre-reveal, read if you want, still don’t know what to tag this as
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:48:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 6,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24439960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neigecerise/pseuds/Neigecerise
Summary: When Marinette had taken his ring, she had never expected this.Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a popular designer from Paris has just gotten engaged to long term boyfriend Luka coffaine, an up and coming musical star.But aren’t you supposed to be happy to marry someone?Then why is Marinette not? Let’s just say, Luka had other plans.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Plagg, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alix Kubdel/Lê Chiến Kim, Alya Césaire/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois/Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Chloé Bourgeois/Sabrina Raincomprix, Luka Couffaine/Kagami Tsurugi, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tikki, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/ Félix, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | ladybug/ Lila Rossi, Max Kanté/Sabrina Raincomprix, Plagg/Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug), Sabine Cheng & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, sabine Cheng& Tom Dupain
Comments: 74
Kudos: 109





	1. 1

When Marinette had accepted Luka’s ring five months prior, she never expected this. Her fiancé, kissing another woman in front of her. Nor had she expected this woman to be one of her best friends.  
A friend who was engaged to someone Marinette cared for just as much as she cared for Luka. 

It had all happened by accident. She had been on patrol with Chat Noir, scanning the city for trouble, when she remembered the small birthday gift she had prepared for him.  
So she had gone home to get it. A small creme box with a few baked treats from her parents bakery.  
She had told Luka it was important, and to not touch it, as it was for a friend. They had planned to spend the night on the Eiffel Tower, looking over the city and catching up on the last few days. 

The shock of hurt is what brought her back to the present. She was angry, she was hurt. And she was confused. 

“How are you two lovebirds enjoying your movie?” Marinette asked in a sickeningly sweet voice. “Ladybug!” Luka bolted upright. “She’s ah, not my girlfriend.” Marinette tilted her head, using the oblivious flair she had so much as mastered in the past decade. “She’s my fiancée.” 

“Fiancée?” Marinette said, though her mind was absent. “Yes.” Kagami said, getting irritated. “what are you doing here?” She asked. “Your friend Marinette asked me to get a small box for her friend.” She said, directing the statement at Luka.  
He went as white as a sheet. “O-oh.” He said, fidgeting. “Would you like me to tell her you and your fiancée said hello?” She asked, grabbing the box and walking back toward the window. “N-no! We can do that tomorrow. she’s making Kagami’s dress anyway.” Luka said. “But thanks.” Kagami said, stone faced. “Alright.” Marinette said, a strange edge to her voice before zipping away. 

By the time she reached the Eiffel Tower, the tears were falling, staining her cheeks and falling to the ground.  
“M’lady?” A voice asked. A voice she knew. And trusted.  
“Chat.” Marinette released a breath she didn’t know she had been holding.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Explaining the tears would be easy. It always was.

Explaining the tears would be easy. It always was. Chat noir wouldn’t look into it. 

So really. How hard could it be?

“Why are you crying?” Chat Noir asked, his striking green eyes clouding with concern. 

Ladybug had to think of an excuse. Quickly. 

‘My fiancé just cheated on me.’ She thought before speaking of her pet hamster who had passed away. 

“That’s awful M’lady!” Chat noir said, the pity in his voice palpable. It almost made ladybug want to tell him the truth. Almost. 

“Me and my fiancée are actually planning to get a pet. A bird maybe? They were my mother’s favourite.” It was this comment that broke her. 

“Isawafriendcheatingonanotherfriendsfiancéandireallydon’tknowwhattodo.” She said, her words jumbled. 

“...who?” Chat asked cautiously. 

“Kagami Tsurugi was-“ she didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence. 

“I don’t believe you.” Chat Noir said, backing away. 

“She was right.” He mumbled, before turning back to her. “You can't be trusted. 

And with that, he vaulted off into the sky, not looking back once. 

Not so easy after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was supposed to post on Sunday, but then I was supposed to go with my family to take my grandmother to a funeral. School started on Monday (like every other week) and I was busy with that. I’m hoping to update this on Sunday this week, but it might come out later than planned.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien was... confused. To say the least.

Adrien was... confused. To say the least. 

He didn’t know what to say... or do. So he sat on a roof, reflecting on the night’s events. 

He trusted ladybug. She was his partner. His friend. 

And he trusted Kagami. Heck, he loved her! 

But he couldn’t choose. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. 

Kagami was brave, fiercely loyal, and wasn’t afraid to go after her goals. 

And ladybug? She was kind, loyal, thought ahead, and was honest with him. She always had been. 

So why did she lie about Kagami? Why would she? 

And more importantly, who was the one to trust? 

Not ladybug... because she could be lying. 

Not Kagami... because she was the accused.

Then an idea hit him. One that he wouldn’t have to ask either of them about. 

He began to make a mental list of all the people Kagami knew who were in a relationship. 

Alix and Kim..  
Max and Sabrina.  
Alya and Nino.  
Rose And Juleka.  
Marinette and Luka. 

Who else? When Adrien couldn’t remember anymore, he began to cross of names from the list.

Not Alya. Right? He shook his head before leaving her name on the list. Sabrina? No, she’s too busy. Max? He liked Sabrina too much. He didn’t know Kim as well as the others in their friend group. Or alix. Sighing, he left their names on the list.  
He barely knew Luka... and he rarely saw Marinette. 

Marinette. 

Friendly, awkward, and always willing to listen. 

Adrien knew what he should do. 

And it involved seeing his princess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt a bit bad for not posting a chapter on Sunday.... so here’s another one!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you haven’t stepped on a friend’s balcony for six years, you should probably have a plan. Or at least something to say. 
> 
> Unfortunately for Adrien, he had neither.

When you haven’t stepped on a friend’s balcony for six years, you should probably have a plan. Or at least something to say. 

Unfortunately for Adrien, he had neither.

And worse, the door to the balcony was sliding open. 

“C-chat Noir?” Marinette asked. “Why are you here?” It was asked as a question. Right? Not a statement telling him he had to leave be- “Chat.” Marinette’s voice was soft, though he didn’t know if it was comforting, hurt, or both. Sitting on the small chairs splayed out on the floor, Marinette broke the silence. “Soo... why are you here?” She said. He could tell she was uncomfortable, perhaps anxious? “Why can’t a paw-some feline like me drop by to visit the mew-tiful Princess?” (Please forgive meeee) 

“Dork.” Marinette said, a hint of a smile in her voice.   
“You wound me mari.” Chat replied, bumping her arm. “But- I did come here to ask something.” 

“Oh? And what could this wise kitty need to know?” She teased. 

“How do you trust someone?” Chat said, looking at her. 

“...What?“ she said. 

“How do you trust two people you love, when one might be lying to you?” He clarified. “Two soulmates. People you would trust with your life. How do you choose who to trust?” He said. 

They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the movements of the still bustling metropolis that was their home.   
“I think... I think there’s a few choices.” Marinette said. “That being..?” Chat prompted. 

“Chat... if you really trusted either of them,... would you really need to ask this?” Marinette gave him a sad smile. One that never seemed to leave. 

“..... the other options being?” Chat asked quietly. 

“Well, you could trust both of them. And seek the truth for yourself.” She started. 

“Or?” He said. 

“You could trust one of them, but still listen to the other. Figure out which claim makes the most sense.” She said. 

“I should get going. Don’t want to be late.” Marinette said, rising and walking toward the door. “Okay. Bye then.” Chat said. Marinette nodded, opening the door. Chat began to walk to wards the edge, before turning. “Oh, and Princess?” “Yes?” She asked, turning. He smiled at her. “Thank you.” Then, he stepped off the edge, vaulting off Once more into the sky. 

And for the first time in a long time, the happy smile graced Marinette’s lips once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has taken a while to post. While I had an idea laid out, I didn’t have any inspiration to write. Hopefully this chapter isn’t as bad as I think it is. 
> 
> Au revoir!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami felt... guilty. To say the least. 
> 
> But this would be the step forward. It had to be.

Kagami felt... guilty. To say the least. 

But this would be the step forward. It had to be. 

She had noticed the strange behaviour months ago. She took little notice of it, after all, Adrien was busy too.  
She had been bothered by it though. So when she had talked to Luka about it, she was surprised to find that Marinette had a similar, if not identical schedule. 

That’s when they got suspicious. They kept a close eye on the disappearances, often at night, or during Akuma attacks. 

Both leaving at similar times. It made her angry.  
At Marinette. At Adrien. 

At everything. 

That’s when Luka has suggested whatever ‘this’ was. It was meant to create a setup for both Marinette and Adrien. It was designed as a setup for them. 

To prove they had been doing... something. Anything. They just wanted answers. 

Kagami wasn’t happy with the plan anymore. She valued trust. And Adrien was fragile. Suppose they were only working, or doing exactly what they told both her and Luka. 

That’s why she was setting up this meeting. With the only person who might’ve known anything about this. 

The only person she knew could find out. 

Alya Césaire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven’t posted in quite some time:(. I’ve been reading more stuff on here, and i’ve been dragged into the infinite pit known as the maribat fandom. (Which you should never look into, if you want to keep adrienette close to your heart.) anyway, updates should be up more often, because school ends next week, and I can continue my (definitive overuse of the magical substance known as caffeine.)
> 
> Again, I’m sorry I haven’t uploaded in so long, and have a great week/month/year. 
> 
> Bonne nuit et au revoir!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luka didn’t know what to feel.
> 
> Worse yet, he didn’t know what to do.

Luka didn’t know what to feel. 

Worse yet, he didn’t know what to do. 

He had panicked when Ladybug had mentioned Marinette. He loved Marinette. He had since the moment he met her.  
But he wanted to know why she kept disappearing, and using the same excuses.  
‘I’m busy right Now’

‘Late for work’

‘Have a meeting right now’

He trusted her. But after all the excuses, the avoidance of a particular subject he brought up, the way she almost always had to know where he was... he had realized that she didn’t trust him. Not entirely. 

He had tried not to look into it at first. After all, she had a right to her privacy. That’s when he had seen the suit. Forest green, with small silver and black accents. It shouldn’t have bothered him much. She was in the fashion industry after all. But it had. 

More so when he found the name ‘Adrien’ stitched into the cuff of the coat. 

Marinette said she hadn’t talked to Adrien much in the last seven months. And it never took more than a month to make one. Ever.  
Something was afoot. 

And he intended to find the cause of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be up sometime next week. Hope you enjoyed!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya didn’t know why Kagami had asked to speak to her about Marinette. 
> 
> After all, she hadn’t spoken to her since lycée.

Alya didn’t know why Kagami had asked to speak to her about Marinette. 

After all, she hadn’t spoken to her since lycée. 

“Soo...” Kagami started awkwardly, unsure of how to start the conversation. 

“So,” Alya started. “What about Marinette do you want to talk about?”

“I think something is going on with Marinette and Adrien.” Kagami said, her face blank. 

“....okay.” Alya really didn’t know what else to say. She hadn’t really been friends with her for years. She didn’t feel like she knew the girl anymore. Sometimes she felt herself questioning is she ever really had. 

Marinette had been her best friend. She really had been. But things had began to change a few weeks after she had gotten expelled and re-accepted. She was always late, worse than usual. There were days when she looked like she had been running on coffee alone. Whenever she had asked about it though, she had always gotten the same excuses:  
‘New project’  
‘Couldn’t sleep’  
‘I was reading’  
Alya had figured out these were lies on a Tuesday afternoon, when Marinette had supposedly been walking her non-existent dog. It had hurt Alya, knowing her best friend would rather lie to her than explain what she had been doing. It was fine though, the girl was entitled to her privacy. It had started to wear on their friendship though. More so when Lila has came. The girl had told her that she had talked to Marinette, and she had told her everything. Including the ‘information’ about her annoying friend Alya. Alya had thought the girl was lying then. After all, Marinette would never think that. 

She was in the locker room, watching them, Marinette had a completely fake smile on her face. Then she had heard her name, and Lila’s laughter had followed. She had ran after that. She hadn’t talked to either girl since.  
Marinette had tried to talk to her at first, but she gave up after the end of the year. 

“So..” Alya said, before pausing. “What do you want to know?”

When she finished with Kagami she went to tell the one person who had time to listen. 

Nino.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I’m being honest, I kind of hate this chapter. I’m probably going to edit it later, but this is what’s going to be out for the time being, unless I think of a better way to display this interaction.  
> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Au revoir!


	8. NOT A CHAPTER.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just read please.  
> This is an update on what’s going on, so the chapters coming won’t be as confusing.

What we currently know:  
Kagami and Luka have created a setup for Adrien and Marinette, because something is clearly up with both of them. 

Alya hasn’t spoken to Mari in several years. 

Marinette thinks her friend is cheating with her fiancé. 

Adrien doesn’t know who to trust

Kagami is feeling guilty and angry

Luka is still angry and suspicious 

Mari hasn’t spoken to Adrien in a while.

Clearing up stuff: 

Alya hasn’t spoken to Marinette, or Lila. 

Chloé and Lila have become friends with Mari 

Lila no longer lies

Félix will be coming back shortly. 

Marinette still has a good relationship with her parents. 

This thing is going to go from lukanette, to adrienette (probably the wrong spelling) then to Félix/ Marinette and then possibly back to adrienette.(but that hasn’t been decided yet). 

Adrien is still oblivious (and at times, downright stupid.) 

Marinette is making a birthday gift for Adrien even though she hasn’t spoken to him for a bit. 

Marinette is a thriving designer (under the name MDC)  
And Adrien is still a model. 

Please tell me if anything else is confusing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter should be out soon. 
> 
> Au revoir!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette’s nerves were on an all time high. 
> 
> She didn’t know what she would say... or do. 
> 
> She just knew it needed to be done.

Marinette’s nerves were on an all time high. 

She didn’t know what she would say... or do. 

She just knew it needed to be done. 

She had been panicking over how she was planning to confront Luka. Without compromising her identity. She had made plans, before scrapping them in the fear of hurting him, or herself. It reminded her of her high school days, when she used to plot her future with Adrien, or her ‘get together ‘ plans that Alya had always helped with. 

Alya. 

Future..

Adrien...

The whole thing left her feeling angry and bitter. 

~~~~

When Luka arrived home at the end of the night, he hadn’t expected Marinette to question him the moment he stepped through the door. “ I know.” She had said. Her eyes were angry, and bright with tears. She threw an onslaught of words his way. 

Empty words. 

Hurtful words. 

That’s when he had had enough. 

“WHY?!” He flared, his own anger mounting the guilt, the calm. She stepped back then, confused by his question. “... why?” She said. 

That’s when the conversation had turned rotten.  
It ended in tears, curses, and a ring, being thrown back at its provider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Canada day my fellow Canadians! 
> 
> This chapter isn’t my favourite, so I’ll probably edit it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luka was worried. He remembered every word she had spat at him.   
> He remembers the ring thrown violently to the wall. 
> 
> A ring now glittering in his hand.

Luka was worried. He remembered every word she had spat at him.   
He remembers the ring thrown violently to the wall. 

A ring now glittering in his hand.

The last night had been a mess. He had known it would be from the moment ladybug had walked through the window. 

He and Kagami had left minutes later, for the next portion of their plan. Kagami went to set up a meeting with Alya and he had gone to get a few boxes. Boxes they were planning to fill will every slip of evidence they had gathered. 

He had arrived home to the angriest version of his fiancée he had ever seen. The words she had spat at him still lingered in his mind. 

“Why?! Why do you keep lying?” 

He winced, remembering when is own anger had mounted the surprise, the guilt. 

She had left the house not long after, to meet up with a friend. Probably Chloé. The girl had been kinder to her when Lila had made her grand debut (for the second time) and had eventually become friends. 

He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of fool he was to do this. Couldn’t help but wonder if he was a fool. And perhaps... perhaps everyone else was as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I’ve already mentioned this, but try not to get dragged into the endless pit known as the maribat fandom. I got stuck in this predicament a month ago, and I’ve already read every. Single. Work. (For the fandom) and every single ship. This was a terrible idea, and all of the “books” are far too interesting to stop reading. 
> 
> Ps. If anyone has any maribat stuff that was a good read, please let me know! 
> 
> Au revoir!!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien, in all his years of cat-pun knowledge, and being a superhero helping others... still didn’t know how to help himself.

Adrien, in all his years of cat-pun knowledge, and being a superhero helping others... still didn’t know how to help himself. 

He blamed his father.  
He blamed modeling.  
He blamed Hawkmoth. 

There had only been a few people who knew how to solve his problems. 

Félix.  
Marinette.  
Lila.  
Ladybug.

He had already talked to Marinette, and that has helped a bit. And he couldn’t talk to ladybug. He didn’t want to. 

So. 

Félix... or Lila? 

After a moment, he came to his conclusion. Why should he have to choose at all? 

His smile broke then, full of hope.

And maybe, just maybe, a little bit of fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am running ridiculously low on things to read right now. I have a hundred and (19?) bookmarks, and I have either finished reading all of them, or am patiently(not) awaiting their updates. How to combat this? Maybe don’t pull several all-nighters in a week because you have better things to do (cough, cough I don’t have COVID reading) anyway, I still haven’t decided how I want this thing to end, so the chapter count is still completely unknown. This chapter is another chapter about Adrien being on the line between stupid, and oblivious. Btw- this chapter is going to be a bit of a pre-curser to the confrontation Kagami edition. (Just be glad he won’t be dead by the end.) thanks for reading this mess of a fic, but FIRST, I have a little challenge for myself that I’m going to remind myself here. I’m having this challenge with myself to be able to at least speak in ten different languages. I only have 7 to go, because I had learned three earlier: English (obviously) french(I had a French nanny, who often tried to teach me, but I was inspired to really learn it a while back.) and Cantonese (my mom had me in Chinese school for 6?-7? Years, but I’m not the best at the language so I’m working on that again too. Anyway, this is getting far too long, (and random) so I guess I’ll see you all next time? If this chapter hasn’t made you regret the choice of reading this already.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Félix was annoyed. The sweet sunshine child, his half-brained cousin with the IQ of blank paper, had somehow gotten himself into a mess of trust, and managed to drag him down too.

Félix was annoyed. The sweet sunshine child, his half-brained cousin with the IQ of blank paper, had somehow gotten himself into a mess of trust, and managed to drag him down too. 

He scowled, gathering his papers from the day, so he could meet with the fool. Though he would deny it until the end of time, he did care for the fool. He was one of his first friends after all. Involuntary, but that wouldn’t change much. 

He spent the rest of the drive stewing in irritation, inwardly laughing. Not that he’d admit that either. 

Félix wasn’t a good person, not really.  
He manipulated others, and took from others. It was always for the benefit of someone though, even if it was just himself. 

Perhaps Adrien wasn’t quite the fool he had though him to be as well. He did ask him for advice after all. A logical move. A strategic move. Perhaps he wasn’t as oblivious- 

The moment he saw Adrien however, he took it back. 

What crime did he commit to deserve this?

~~~~~~~~~ 

Lila was having a good day. She had finally gotten an honest job, and the weather was nice. He mood dimmed when Adrien texted though, requiring ‘help’ regarding Kagami and some friends. 

Lila was a better person now. She really was. But she didn’t like helping Adrien in the slightest. 

Because Adrien and ‘help’ usually meant something along the lines of doing his dirty work, then attempting to escape unscathed. Not that she blamed him for that though. He didn’t seem to understand some of his choices were wrong. That was the difference between them. Adrien committed wrongs unknowingly, and she? She committed wrongs without remorse. 

The whole situation sounded rotten though. 

Adrien never had any issues with Kagami, aside from the ‘she needs to make more friends’ complaint every once in a while. 

Never trust issues. With Kagami of all people. The girl was trustworthy, and they all knew it. 

Why would he- no. 

Oh hell no. 

Adrien did not just come to the park dressed like that. 

Because really, what model, business owner, and celebrity would come to the park dressed as chat noir? (Excluding the mask) with a potato sack?

Lila bid farewell to whatever dignity and self-preservation she had left. 

This was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m posting this chapter today because I might not post next week. The next chapter is probably going to be a Lila one, or Nino, whatever would make more sense relating to the plot, though both parts should come out eventually. Also, next week, (The assumed time of the next update) I’m going to try to post daily for the rest of quarantine, because I should be trying to be productive. See anyone who is still reading this for reasons unknown to me, next time. 
> 
> Au revoir!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien was having a great day. Everything was going to plan. 
> 
> Until of course-

Adrien was having a great day. 

Everything was going to plan. 

Until of course- wait. No. 

That wasn’t-  
Yes it was!!!

Okay, only a minor detour. Only a few- 

Look at that!!! 

Adrien has been having a great day, which shifted to fantastic in a matter of minutes. 

Firstly, he had found the most beautiful chat noir costume in one of his favourite stores. (A wonderful surprise) and then, he had found a poster advertising a potato sack racing event that was being hosted in the park he was going to! As if his day couldn’t get better! 

His good mood dampened when he saw his cousin’s face. His expression? Murderous. 

Then he saw Lila. Her expression? 

Ready to run for the hills. 

In an effort to remove the stormy cloud that seemed to dampen all of their moods, he sent a sheepish smile. 

Uh oh.

~~~~~~~ 

Nino was beyond confused. Alya had stormed into their apartment like a wolf on the hunt. For him apparently.   
The information she brought however, would be the true death of him.   
Knowing Marinette AND Adrien was what made him spiral down confusion lane.   
He knew that the information Alya brought was incorrect, considering the two friends had barely had time to talk over the past few months, let alone have get togethers for several hours.   
So why did Alya think that?   
The answer she gave resulted in one of the worst headaches he had ever had. Worse than the countless tests from their days in math and science classes. 

Kagami. 

She was the one who apparently gave away this information. But why?? Nino, in his countless years of friendship With these morons left him with one, and only one solution. 

The only person who had any brain cells remaining. 

The poor soul who would be left to solve this disaster?   
Simple. 

Max.

~~~~~~~ 

When Marinette had a bad day, she always found a solution through creativity. 

Which is why she was here. In her favourite fabric shop, about to make one of the worst financial decisions of her life.   
What was that? 

Use the money she had set aside for her wedding on fabrics.   
Every. Single. Cent. 

Who had she employed to assist her?   
Chloé, the only person who could spend so much money in a day. 

The only problem? 

What she was going to do with $100,000 dollars worth of fabric.   
She needed a few, like silk taffeta, and tulle, but the rest? 

Well, that would be used on whatever else just happened to catch her eye. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Kwamis, in their life, had truly never met such oblivious idiots. They had tried, and failed in getting them to see reason. 

Sass was beyond frustrated with Luka, who seemed to constantly consider using “second chance” to fix his shortcomings

Longg was trying, (and failing) To understand the point of Kagami (and Luka’s) setup plan

Tikki was busy trying to convince Marinette of the misunderstanding, though even she was losing her seemingly endless patience. 

And plagg? He was just concerned about Adrien’s declining care for the amount of cheese he received daily. Did he not understand plagg required nine rounds of pristine camembert delivered by the time he rose from his beauty sleep? Did he not understand how important it was?   
How was he supposed to live on only five? 

Plagg had even taken to ordering it himself. 

Their new approach? Get one of their fellow Kwami to deal with it. 

Why? 

They were just too tired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have returned!!! And I should be permanently banned from the maribat fandom. I literally called my best friend “Marinette” and my little cousin “Damian”.   
> I think i’ve lost my mind.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max Kanté considered himself to be a very competent person. 
> 
> But why most people ask you to solve their problems, you really need to catch a break.

Max Kanté considered himself to be a very competent person. 

But why most people ask you to solve their problems, you really need to catch a break.

So when Nino asked for help concerning Marinette and Adrien, the two most oblivious people in school (that was debatable) max had been considering a tasteful, (and practical) escape. What caught his interest though, was the mention of their constant disappearances, that seemed to be timed on a schedule. The nightly ones anyway. 

Max resisted the urge to laugh. It was almost funny how his classmates had only noticed now. 

Almost funny. 

But it also made him question their well-being if they still didn’t realize the obvious. 

And they quite blatantly didn’t, considering the onslaught of messages he had from his former classmates, now clients, who paid for him to solve their problems. 

Even though he knew why this entire mess had started, and how it would end, he also knew he had more work to create a solid plan for the idiots. 

Why? 

He had a feeling Marinette and Adrien didn’t want to be outed as magical superheroes. 

At least not yet.  
~~~~~~~~~~~   
Kagami was pacing. She had been for the last three hours. She was waiting for Luka yes, but she was also preparing for one of the worst confrontations of her life. 

And she was scared. Scared to hurt him. 

But it has to be done. 

In her mind’s eye, she knew something was wrong. She was missing something. 

But she didn’t know what. 

But there wasn’t time for that. 

There wouldn’t be time for that.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
Gabriel agreste, pacing the halls of his home in all his monotonous glory, was preparing to get arrested for being a terrorist. Or agrested as he liked to say. (Yes, he laughs at his own jokes). 

Why?   
Firstly, his idiot of a son had moved out, so they wouldn’t be the “perfect family unit” with or without Emilie.   
Secondly, he had learned a wonderful skill known as moving on.   
Thirdly, he would have his secretary (natile) no matter what happened.   
And how?   
He was going to turn himself in. Whenever he finished his villain monologue that was to end his reign of terror.   
~~~~~~~~~~  
“Let the race begin!” Adrien had every intention of winning this thing. 

Even if his friends, who were obviously here to cheer him on (and help him) didn’t look to jovial. 

And did he win! He left the kid in the dust! Though the prize, (two dozen gorgeous cookies) he split with the boy because he felt a little bad.

“ADRIEN!” 

Huh. This didn’t sound good.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
Marinette was having a blast. She had bought over sixty yards of different fabrics at her favourite store, (sixty yards at one store combined, so like ten yards of six fabrics) and she was headed to the next one.   
She had even opened commissions for her brand again, and had received both positive feedback, but also a bunch of new costumers. 

What was the cherry on top? She had found a new place to live. A house, far away from Luka. 

Had Tikki tried to convince her against it?   
Yes.   
Had she listened?   
The furniture store she proceeded to walk into was answer enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to my candy store~   
> I needed something to do. For some reason, I’ve decided the solution is to bing heathers (the musical) until I understand it. À demain!!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloé was a helpful person. Or at least, she considered herself one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been brought to my attention that I have neglected talking about a few of the characters I have tagged, so this chapter is going to be focused on them. Kagami and the confrontation will be coming soon though, I just need to finish getting a few other things established before that, because some aspects are important to the confrontation, so I can’t write that chapter without them.  
> (Also, for Chloé’s primary relationship, please vote on who should be her romantic partner, if anyone. I’m up for basically anything. Thanks!)  
> Also, the following scenes might be triggering to some people. Please be mindful of that. The scene is over when this: ~~~~~~~ appears. It will start with a message in all capitals.  
> Au revoir!

Chloé was a helpful person. Or at least, she considered herself one. 

Was she herself helpful? 

No. 

But with Sabrina, (her current secretary) she was unstoppable. 

She had employees, (friends) who helped her with a lot. She had become more self sufficient since lycée, it’s true, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have help. 

Sabrina was the one who had the highest salary, did the most work, and was the most trusted of her employees. 

Nathaniel was her artist; he designed things for the company. Logos, websites, you name it.  
She didn’t have him do too much too often, but he still worked for her. 

Marinette was less of an employee, more of a business partner. She worked with Chloé to get more branches of her brand out, while Chloé also extended her business. 

She had come far. 

Coming far however, never meant much to her. 

(SCÈNE STARTS HERE) 

She was rich.  
She had friends.  
She wasn’t a bad person anymore. 

But she wasn’t happy.  
She hadn’t been for a while. 

There were days she would ponder if it was her insecurities that made her hurt others. Trying to bring them down with her. Or pull herself up. 

She wasn’t quite sure. 

She had never told anyone this of course, they didn’t need to solve her little problems. 

Why would they want to? 

It was strange, the feeling of being alone. Even when you’re surrounded by people, even when you have the ‘essentials’ of happiness. 

It’s why she had loved being queen bee. 

Why she had loved being a hero. 

Helping people. 

Because it allowed her to feel something she was not. Something she would never be. 

Loved. 

People feared her.  
Or envied her.  
Or helped her. 

It was always for a reason though. 

Her mother had never loved her.  
She was just an annoyance. 

Her father had never loved her.  
She was just a tool. 

Her class had never loved her.  
They were just kind. 

And the true villain in her story, the one who gave the knife that cut away at her, but by bit to the dark, to the fear, to the jealousy.  
It was herself. 

She had never loved herself.  
She didn’t know what love was.  
But in the end of all ends, she would be okay. 

She always was.  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
Easy and hard were opposites.  
Words meant to contradict until the end of time. 

But they were the same. 

You just had to look closer. 

It was like her friend. 

Sabrina has been best friends with Chloé for a long time. Most of the time she could remember. 

Sabrina could read her emotions. She knew her friend. 

It was easy to understand, but so difficult at the same time. 

Two words, two different meanings.  
One in the same. 

The clicking of heels shattered the calm silence. Empty silence, filled with nothing but the people surrounded by it, basking in their thoughts. 

Thoughts. 

It was like a war waged inside your head, endless pictures, words, sounds, thoughts, floating about, meant to be everywhere and nowhere and all in between. And endless maze, filled with layers, and layers, hidden and seeking.

The endless wave.  
A wave the symbolized life and death, and everything below. Some people would float. Some people would sink to the deepest depths, desperate to go father. 

And some? 

Some would break, be torn apart by water, and sand, and words. Unable to swim, floundering for life. 

But they always kept trying, kept moving until they finally found their breath. And when they did? 

That’s when they learned to fly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully that was okay? I hope it met whatever standers I have to uphold.  
> Again, please vote if you have an opinion on who Chloé should end up with. I don’t really know, and I’m up for anything. 
> 
> Thanks for reading.  
> Until next time!


	16. A girl’s guide to breaking up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the ultimate handbook of breaking up.

Should Marinette have agreed to come to this “event” with her friends? 

No. 

Did things she probably shouldn’t do ever stop her? 

Her presence at this “event” should be answer enough.

This event? 

A spontaneous chain of activities from her friends “how to get over a jerk 101” or alternatively, “a girl’s guide to breaking up”. 

She had used this guide to cheer up her friends, but never for herself. 

When the first activity of the day was getting the fanciest wine affordable for a “proper” mid-morning drink, Marinette couldn’t help but worry. The guide had two rules: 

1: each event scheduled is to be increasingly spontaneous, and shall increase in budget as the day progresses. 

2: the event is to last 24 hours, with a new event each hour. The end of the event is to be symbolized with the most petty act you can think of, to be placed upon the jerk whom you now refer to as your ex. This petty act must be legal, but it is free reign for everything else. 

She couldn’t help but silently muse her worry. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The schedule of events to occur 

Hour 1 (8:00 am) morning drinks with friends   
Hour 2 (9:00 am) hour of the pranks (must be legal)   
Hour 3 (10:00 am) mess hour (mess everything you want up hour, you basically get to make a bunch of disasters with friends.)   
Hour 4 (11:00 am) ditch work for something (must have permission, if you are needed at work)   
Hour 5 (12:00) productive hour (use time to complete anything you didn’t finish from previous hours.)   
The hours will be released in groups of five, (every chapter.) 

Ready, set, Go have fun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuse as to why I didn’t update yesterday. (I was reading zutara stuff) 
> 
> So here this chapter is. 
> 
> Please don’t hate me.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette should have seen this coming. 
> 
> Truly, she should have.

Marinette should have seen this coming. 

Truly, she should have.

“The hour of pranks” as Alix had christened it, was apparently exactly what it sounded like. 

Dragging her over to her old apartment, now Luka’s apartment with fifty cans of silly string really should have been a red flag. 

A red flag singing at the top of its non-existent voice about why it was a red flag. 

But of course, Marinette, like every other person who had ever been involved with her or her friends in any way, shape or form, was oblivious. 

Painfully so. 

She had never seen her apartment such a disaster. 

Neon colours littered the floor, walls, and the occasional spot of the ceiling. 

It was everywhere.

And the worst part? 

Marinette felt glee at the idea of Luka coming home to this disaster. 

He would be mortified, no doubt. 

And she couldn’t wait. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Adrien and his very good day had been less good ever since he finished that potato sac race. (And won, thank you very much)  
Félix and Lila had dragged him away, to the restaurant around the corner. 

That was fun. 

They ordered their food, and then they decided to have a very mature conversation. 

Adrien, being the mature adult he was, replied to the bare accusations that he wasted their time with a potato sack race (that again, he won) in a very mature, professional, adult like manner. By sticking out his tongue at the friends he had. 

Félix, in his infinite grumpy glory, scowled,  
While Lila, in her ‘not mature enough to be an adult, but to old to be a kid’ etiquette, replied with a very eloquent rolling of eyes. 

How did the day end? 

With a frustrated Lila, sent to go and assume the role of guardian angel, while confronting Kagami, (aka- the self sacrifice Adrien needed to escape unscathed) 

While a still annoyed Félix was sent to find Luka, then Marinette, and find out what happened. 

Because apparently, no one really knew anymore. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Schedule of events to come

-pottery, (evil edition)  
-shop until you drop, (or run out of money)  
-plant an entire garden (dangerous plants edition)  
-escape room, (that doesn’t have a time limit, so might take more than an hour)  
-buy a house (for no good reason) 

This is the explanation portion  
-pottery- make pottery that will be used as a prank, (for something) or just out of spite. 

-shop until you... die, pass out, or run out of money. 

-plant a garden of dangerous plants (cause you only live once~) 

-escape room, (because why not trap yourself in a room when you are a super hero, and there’s a villain who can strike at any time?)

-buy a house (for a spontaneous, possible massive waste of money!)

See you all next time! (Should you come)

Au revoir!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I haven’t updated in a while. I don’t have much inspiration for how exactly I want to write this, though I have a structured plan plan. So updates are going to be more sporadic. I’m going to add chapters when I feel I can get the best quality of those chapters out. I don’t want this to be poorly written, so updates are going to be coming less often. I know some people can get some wonderful work out daily, and that’s great for them. Everyone writes differently though, so I’m going to try to be consistent, but also on my own schedule.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien really didn’t know what he had gotten himself into...

Adrien really didn’t know what he had gotten himself into... 

The only other problem? There was no turning back now. 

Perhaps he should’ve brought more protection. 

Against Lila.  
He should have known. 

Could’ve, should’ve, would’ve, if not for the fact Félix would kill him much sooner. 

When they had arrived at his estate, they had been expecting a lot. They were prepared for a lot. 

Finding 300 boxes filled with items was not part of that ‘preparation’ routine. 

He was comforted by Kagami exiting the estate to face him. Without her weapons. 

Good. She won’t try to kill anyone. 

“Kagami-“ he started, before being cut off by Lila. 

Stepping on his foot. Hard. 

“Ouch!!” He yelped, spinning to Lila.  
She glared at him before motioning to the boxes. 

No- not the boxes... the words plastered on each one. 

“I START THE CONVERSATION” 

“Oh.” 

Oops.  
~~~~~~~~~~ 

Félix felt salty.  
Though, being the very mature person he was, he hadn’t acted acrimonious in the slightest. 

That being said- he was glad to be rid of the fool. 

Er- Adrien. 

Unfortunately, he had been tasked to deal with the other half of this...  
minor ‘issue’. 

He truly didn’t know how he’d ended up in the twit’s debt.  
He did know, but he wasn’t going to admit that. 

He didn’t own Adrien directly, he owed chat noir.  
Damn alley cat. 

Why was he in the super heroes debt? 

He had saved him from a day spent with himself. 

He thought he had avoided Adrien. Then he realized who the overly flamboyant, perky, and extremely annoying cat happened to be. 

His oblivious, idiot of a cousin. 

He figured out ladybug by extension.  
Adrien had still not figured it out though. 

They had been told Luka had cheated with Kagami. 

Ladybug had obviously told him it was her fiancé who had cheated on her. 

No one seemed to understand the obvious. 

He idly wondered if this was a Parisian thing. 

Or just something to do with the people he ended up around (he’s still bitter about that). 

And if so, was this condition of extreme idiocy going to infect him too. 

He scowled. 

Not if he had anything to say about that.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Marinette was going to die like this. 

She had come to this conclusion mere seconds ago. 

That, or they would all end in jail. 

As she had learned, participation in “mess hour” was a poor choice. 

The day was supposed to be legal. 

And she was sure, that trashing random people’s houses was not. 

It would be fun they said. 

You’ll forget why you were so mad! They said. 

They had been right. 

Now, instead of feeling sorry for herself about her scum of an ex, she was worrying about the time she would receive in prison. 

Her new plan/ solution? Convince her friends to go to one of her empty appartements that is going to be “someone else’s “ home for the hour this would last. While they destroyed things, she would go to the houses they ripped apart to do everything in her power to stop them from getting sued. 

She had luck on her side right? 

Even if it seemed to fail her in the recent times. 

~~~~~~~~

Schedule  
—  
-plan evil revenge (doesn’t have to be legal 😈)  
\- painting class  
\- bake without a recipe in no pattern and/or order.)  
\- craft a new identity (because why not???)  
\- buy as much as your bank account will allow (only online shopping though). 

Ready, set, let the next hour of chaos begin!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been super lazy the past week, so I thought I’d write a chapter. 
> 
> Happy Tuesday everyone! (Unless it’s a different day. Then happy other day of the week!)


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For someone who valued productivity and her relationships, Marinette couldn’t help but wonder where she had turned wrong.

For someone who valued productivity and her relationships, Marinette couldn’t help but wonder where she had turned wrong. 

Skip out on work hour had never sounded TOO bad. Just a little bad. 

Just a little. 

“Coffee....” she moaned, reaching for an imaginary cup of the warm, sweet lifeline. 

“Nu-uh!“ alix said, pulling her off towards their next ‘fun’ hour. 

Sooo funnnn. 

“Noooooooooooo” she said again, sprawling across the ground. 

“Help meeeeeee”  
~~~~~~~~~~~

Adrien was ready to confront Kagami. 

Or at least he thought he had been. 

He did not expect to be confronted by Kagami. 

About his constant disappearances. 

How the hell was he going to get out of this?? 

“Where do you go?” 

“Why?”   
She had so many questions.   
But he knew-   
He knew he couldn’t answer them. 

Ever. 

“I-I can’t tell you.” He said unsteady around her for the first time in a while. 

Kagami showed the first emotion he had truly seen through her cold façade. 

Hurt.

She turned, eyes sparkling. 

“Then take back your ring.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven’t updated this for a bit... so I’m sorry about that. I have decided to make this a felinette work. A really slow burn felinette work. Which means this is going to end up significantly longer than expected. So here are the ships I going to be working with. (The rest of the relationships listed are either minor or platonic.)   
> Félix x Marinette   
> Chloé x Kagami (thanks to a suggestion I got a while back)   
> Adrien x literally any wholesome thing  
> Adrien x it’s a surprise, feel free to guess  
> (All other relationships that were mentioned in previous chapters.)   
> See you next time! 
> 
> Au revoir!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Félix is not having a good day.
> 
> Why did he agree to this again?

Félix was not having a good day. 

Why did he agree to this again? 

he had better things to do then helping his cousin in his romantic endeavours.  
But... he was his cousin.  
And he was supposed to be here for him. 

Not that he would admit it after the day he died, but he did care for him. 

Which is why he was here.  
Outside of Adrien’s friend’s fiancé. 

How Adrien still hadn’t realized that his friend was clearly ladybug when he found out Luka was involved, Félix had no idea.

And how his friend had never realized that chat noir was clearly close enough to Kagami to choose to trust Kagami over ladybug herself that he was probably Adrien, he also didn’t know. 

“Yes?” A man was at the door, black-blue hair unruly.  
He looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. 

His cheeks were still tear stained. 

But Félix still had a job to do. 

“I’m here in regards to your relationship with both Miss. Dupain-Cheng and Miss. Tsurugi. As you should know, my cousin, Adrien Agreste was close to both your fiancée and his fiancée. I am here to discuss your reasoning for meddling with both relationships.” Félix cringed at his wording. So unprofessional. Too casual. 

Why did he choose to use those words- 

“Ex fiancée.” Luka said, voice dead. “She broke up with me.” 

Okay then. 

More work to do. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Marinette was still dying. 

Why? Because someone had decided she wasn’t allowed to have her beloved coffee today! 

Which is why she was here. 

Curled up on a couch. 

Fast asleep. 

“Crap.” Alix said. “What the hell are we supposed to do now?”  
Chloé’s voice answered her. 

“We wake her up, obviously.”  
Why was she friends with these people?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this came out later then expected.  
> I’ve been focusing on my maribat trash, because that’s fun. 
> 
> So I’ll update this..... whenever I update this.  
> I don’t want to feel obligated to work on this with a schedule, because it usually makes me really dislike what I’m writing. So yeah.  
> Au revoir!


	21. Cheers to being inconsistent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what it sounds like

Alya was inconsistent.  
This wasn’t a surprise to her, not really. Heck, she still had posts from seven years ago that she just abandoned. 

Her standing outside Marinette’s apartment door because she had questions was so rare in Alya’s non-existent schedule, it wasn’t there at all. 

If she was being entirely honest, she barely knew why she was here at all. 

But the talk she had with Kagami sounded like a good story. 

And reporters worked on good stories. 

Marinette probably wouldn’t mind. 

....Probably. 

———

Marinette update 

#1 -still looking dead as hell

#2- still looking dead, might be able to smell coffee

#3- awake, grumpy as the grinch

#4- going to- 

“Alix! Stop-“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Being honest though, I might end up abandoning this work. 
> 
> If I’m not working on it by December, it’s going down the drain. 
> 
> I just don’t know where in my schedule I can fit it in.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic, so you can expect it to be awful. Luka and Kagami are currently placeholders, but they will get a small story somewhere in here.  
> Additional context:  
> I have almost no plan for this story. It’s completely random, and it won’t get updated often (if I’m busy).  
> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> (This chapter is short, because I didn’t know what to add. Just pretend I left a purposeful cliffhanger though.)


End file.
